CIRCUMSTANCES OF LOSSLieutenant Finucane was a fighter pilot serving with VMF-212. On 31 May 1942, while on an authorized training flight, Finucane attempted a dive on a beached target ship. His plane crashed into the sea and exploded off Tontuota Reef, New Caledonia, at 1650 hours.
Lieutenant Finucane’s remains could not be recovered from the wreckage.